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BLOOMINGTON – As Stevie Scott’s 204-yard Virginia performance pushed him into the Big Ten consciousness for the first time this season, Morgan Ellison’s status remained unchanged as of Monday afternoon.

“I meet with him each week, and that's been going really good and he's just still suspended from the team activities,” Allen said during his weekly news conference Monday. “I don't have any further update on that part of it. I just stay with him and meet with him and help him through the process.”

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IU freshman running back Stevie Scott meets the media Monday, after his 204-yard performance in a win over Virginia last weekend.
Zach Osterman, zach.osterman@indystar.com

Ellison rushed for 704 yards and six touchdowns last season as a freshman. The reasons behind his suspension have not been disclosed, either by Allen or IU Athletic Director Fred Glass.

Scott has rushed for 274 yards on 51 carries so far this season, both team bests, in the absence of both Ellison and injured redshirt sophomore Cole Gest (torn ACL).

Indiana Hoosiers running back Stevie Scott (21) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the game against Virginia at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. Bobby Goddin/For IndyStar,

Indiana Hoosiers defensive lineman Gavin Everett (69) celebrates after making a tackle during the game against Virginia at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. Bobby Goddin/For IndyStar,

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Freshman quarterback Michael Penix might well have played against Virginia, but for the weather.

Saturday’s game was held in driving rain and stiff, shifting winds, prompting changes in both teams’ game plans and contributing to what turned out to be a low-scoring affair.

One of the changes to IU’s approach? Allen said he and his staff had planned to try and find more snaps for true freshman quarterback, who completed 8-of-10 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown at Florida International. But the weather and the way the game developed — including starter Peyton Ramsey’s overall performance — kept Penix on the sideline.

“We really expected to play him, to be honest with you,” Allen said of Penix. “The weather conditions were so bad, and just, Peyton was doing a good job and was comfortable out there.”

Ramsey finished the victory 16-of-22 for 150 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception Allen acknowledged Monday “was a mistake that he shouldn’t have thrown.” The redshirt sophomore also rushed nine times for 27 yards, and kept IU’s offense ticking over well enough to finish with total 387 yards.

The Hoosiers didn’t score in the second half, but consistently gained enough yardage to flip field position. Only one of Virginia’s five second-half drives started beyond the Cavaliers’ own 30-yard line (the one prompted by that interception), and the visitors began their last three drives at their own 10-, 13- and 9-yard lines, sequentially.

Allen’s admission that Penix was expected to play, though, does suggest IU’s staff might not protect his redshirt this season.

An offseason rule change allows players who have not previously redshirted to appear in as many as four games without losing a year of eligibility. But with Brandon Dawkins gone and Penix acting as Ramsey’s primary backup, Indiana’s staff might opt instead to find more snaps for its true freshman signal caller, in case Ramsey is ever sidelined by injury.

Allen will just be judicious about when to hand Penix those snaps.

“I thought that was just a tough situation to put him in,” Allen said. “We were actually planning on playing him, and then we just kind of got into it and it was really a one-possession game for a lot of the time, especially in the second half, and so it's just, circumstances didn't allow us to do that.”

WESTBROOK BACK IN THE END ZONE

Nick Westbrook caught two passes against Virginia, including his first score since the 2016 season.(Photo: Bobby Goddin/for IndyStar)

Nick Westbrook said afterward the biggest obstacle he faced on his touchdown grab Saturday, the redshirt junior wide receiver’s first since 2016, wasn’t securing the catch, but celebrating the score.

“Didn’t really know what to do for my celebration, since it’s been so long,” Westbrook said, laughing. “But it just felt great, realizing all that hard work, getting back, paid off.”

The touchdown itself was Westbrook’s first visit to the end zone since Dec. 28, 2016. That came against Utah, during a breakout sophomore season that saw Westbrook come within five yards of 1,000.

Westbrook looked like the ideal sidekick to Simmie Cobbs last season, but a torn ACL suffered covering a kickoff early in Indiana’s season-opening loss to Ohio State robbed him of the chance. Westbrook had to watch from the sideline as the Hoosiers finished 5-7 in 2017.

Healthy again, the Florida native grabbed five passes for 33 yards in the win at Florida International, plus two more for 26 yards and that score against Virginia.

IU’s passing game was particularly subdued against the Cavaliers because of the weather. But Ramsey found Westbrook for a touchdown with 1:36 left in the first half that turned out to be Indiana’s final (and the game’s deciding) score.

“Drives before that, I was outside releasing all my fades, and then I just had a feeling (Ramsey) was gonna throw it to me on that one for some reason, so I decided to inside release,” Westbrook said. “The corner bit outside because I’d been doing it all game. I was just able to slip by and stack him, then just making sure, with all that rain, that I just paid attention, making sure I had my eyes on the ball to make that catch.”

ODDS AND ENDS

>> Westbrook’s was one of five touchdown passes Ramsey has thrown this season. His 306 passing yards over Indiana’s first two games rank just ninth in the Big Ten, but only Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins (nine) has more touchdowns.

“There’s definitely just like, a confidence,” Westbrook said. “We know where he wants us to be. We know where he’s gonna put the ball.”

>> Allen mentioned walk-on redshirt freshman running back Ahrod Lloyd as a player who could see more time on the field soon. Lloyd enjoyed a strong spring but had been laid up recently through injury. The Park Tudor grad is back at practice now.

>> Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord admitted Monday the Hoosiers wanted to go vertical in the passing game, and throw the ball deep more often against Virginia, but that the weather dictated a pivot to heavy reliance on the run game.

>> Indiana’s Week 4 visit from Michigan State, the Hoosiers’ Big Ten opener, will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22. That game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

>> Allen said he personally cleaned up the trash that fell out of the trash can he knocked over celebrating Saturday’s win, when he returned to Memorial Stadium on Sunday morning.

“I thought it was going to just tip over. It was really heavy because it was full of water,” Allen said, smiling. “But yeah, I wasn't thinking, I just was reacting. I have a little history of being a little emotional, so that's just me.”